1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to drawing assemblies useful for outlining the margin of a mat having a generally elliptical-shaped cut therein and, more especially, to such a drawing assembly which may be employed on the same apparatus used to make the cut in the mat so that the drawn outline replicates the contour of the cut including any slight deviations therein.
2. removed to expose that of the print while leaving a margin extending toward the periphery of the frame. Many people desire an ovate or elliptical treatment when framing such objets d'art. Usually an oval frame is employed; but sometimes a largeline the marginal area of the mat outwardly bounding the elliptical or ovate cut therein with one or more inked or drawn lines to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the treatment. Drawing such a marginal outline can be both tedious and time-consuming since the outline must replicate very closely both the shape and dimension of the elliptical cut in the mat, not to speak of the obvious fact that it must be accurately centered with respect thereto. This difficulty is further exacerbated since it is rare that the elliptical cut in the mat is mathematically "perfect". Even though one normally expects some minor deviation in the contour of the cut, usually the apparatus employed to make the cut will do so accurately enough that such deviations are imperceptible except upon very close scrutiny. However, were one then to outline that slightly imperfect ellipse using, e.g., a template or the like which is designed to yield nearly mathematically perfect shapes, the imperfections are magnified demonstrably. Accordingly, attempts to use templates, pantographs, or the like in order to provide the drawn outline are sorely disappointing from an artistic point-of-view.
Although scant if any attention has been paid to the problem of inking an outline of an elliptical cut in a mat used to mount objets d'art, many have proposed various apparatus for the drawing of ellipses. One conventional approach is the use of a pantograph where a pattern to be drawn is followed by a tracer joined through a linkage to a drawing pen which reproduces the movement and thereby transfers to the object substrate the shape of the traced design. Pantographs conventionally permit for both enlargement and reduction in the dimensions while generally holding the configuration in a relatively true reproduction. Many of these devices, due to the translation of movement, include a biased or spring-loaded drawing pen or instrument in order to maintain contact on in the dimensions while generally holding the configuration in a relatively true reproduction. Many of these devices, due to the translation of movement, include a biased or spring-loaded drawing pen or instrument in order to maintain contact with the substrate receiving the drawing. Among a variety of patented devices which are disclosed to be useful for drawing ellipses may be mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,504,832, 2,674,042, 2,810,960, and 4,014,101. However, none of those devices, some of which are rather elaborate in construction, are adaptable for the drawing of an ellipse within the context of the present invention as the same strive to provide perfect elliptical configurations which, as noted above, may well be undesirable when that ellipse is to be a border on a mat where the cut to be outlined is itself subject to some inherent deviation in conformity.
Accordingly, the need exists to provide a drawing assembly which is specifically configured to outline generally elliptically-shaped cuts in a mat where the outline replicates the elliptical cut including any minor deviations therein.